Emily By Hart

The Saturday Before Santa Luesa

Ah, Saturday.

Jennifer looked around the bedroom, stretched and took a deep breath as she saw the sun shining in the window.

It had been a hectic week. Jonathan had worked until the wee hours of the morning almost every night. She hated weeks like that for one simple reason: She hated going to bed by herself.

Granted, she had been out with a couple of friends for dinner on two nights. One night she had waited up for her husband on the couch. And the other nights she and Max had shared some time together that they both enjoyed. So, it wasn't like she had been alone. But she was also slightly addicted to her dark haired lover who knew exactly what to do and what to say to make their normal bedtime routine something much more than, well, routine.

Friday night had been another late night for Jonathan Hart. He was doing his best to subdue the frustrations that were hitting many parts of him. He hated being away from his red-haired beauty. And, working late in his California office perplexed him even more than being a continent away from her.

He knew, every night when he quietly tiptoed into their bedroom, that she was just a touch away. He climbed into their bed debating whether or not to wake her up…and whether or not he had the mental and physical stamina that would be required to put her back to sleep. That debate had sent him into dreamland more than once, after brushing his soft lips over her forehead, or her knuckles, or whatever bit of exposed skin he could find beyond the satin sheets.

That debate and the frustrations had turned into an almost-winning combination when his week of negotiations came to fruition at 10:00PM the previous night.

He didn't recall throwing his briefcase into the Rolls Royce, nor did he recall any specifics about the Asian company that had cost him a week of barely touching his wife. The only thing Jonathan knew when he left his building that night was that he WOULD wake Jennifer when he arrived home and would spend every waking moment with her for as long as he could – come hell or high water.

And so, that Friday night, he gently climbed into bed, raised the covers enough to slip in beside her and was more than pleased to find her bare skin waiting for him.

"Jennifer," his tired, yet sexy voice whispered against her ear.

"Hmmm?" She stretched and shivered slightly as the cool air reached her skin.

"Did you forget something when you came to bed tonight?" He grinned and then his smile grew a bit wider as her mouth stretched and she ran her teeth along her plump bottom lip.

"Nooo," she teased, drawing out the word and keeping her eyes closed as she felt his hand smooth over her shoulder and down her bicep. "I heard through the grapevine that this really sexy, international businessman had closed a huge deal and needed a place to stay…"

Her gravelly voice made his hand stall at her elbow. His fingers wandered over to her naked hip, where his palm fit like a puzzle piece against the slender roundness.

"So…" he leaned back slightly, waiting to make himself even more comfortable. "Do you often come to bed naked after reading the Wall Street Journal late at night?"

Jennifer laughed.

He loved the sound. And they both loved the playfulness they could share, even at 1AM after a long, tiring week.

She turned to face him and opened her eyes to see his shadow in the moonlight that glowed through their window. Without answering his question she pulled a hand from under the covers and ran it through his familiar, trim haircut, letting her nails graze his scalp.

Jonathan bent toward her face, happily meeting her smiling lips for a kiss he had needed for two days.

"I've missed you," he reluctantly pulled away, trying to make out her facial features in the darkness.

"You've had a lot going on," she answered with the most understanding tone.

"I'm sorry, Darling," he sighed and finally gave in to his nearly exhausted feelings. He lay back on his pillow and was very happy that she snuggled her body closer to his. "I don't know what's more frustrating… being thousands of miles apart and having to call to get my fix of you… or being in the same bed as you and not being able to … have you."

Jennifer ran the tip of her thumb over her lips, loving the knowledge that he had missed being with her. The want that she could derive from his voice was much like her own. It was the reason she had opted not to put her nightgown on, on this particular night, and had prayed that he would wake her when he got home.

"Darling," she responded against his shoulder, "You know you can have me almost anytime you want me."

She placed a kiss against the slick material of his pajama top and slid one of her legs over his, inviting him to feel more of her and have her at that very moment.

When their lips met again both tasted the hunger they were feeling. But as Jonathan rested his head on his pillow, Jennifer removed his top and began caressing his stressed shoulders and chest. At that point, his body didn't exactly respond as either of them expected.

"Jonathan?" Jennifer whispered as she kissed his stubbled chin and neck, working her way down to his chest.

The response she received was a deep breath, a sigh of relaxation, and silence. She wasn't upset by any means. She would just have to wait a little while longer to show him how proud she was of him, and how much she had missed him.

Jennifer took his pajama top and placed it on herself. She softly pressed another kiss on his cheek and ran her index finger down his chest and over his abdomen. At the waistband of his pajama bottoms, she realized she could still have her way with him if she wanted. Someone was excited to see her and not in a hurry to call it a night!

"Sweet dreams, Darling," she smiled as she enjoyed copping a feel of his manhood.

His slight jerk and the soft moan from his lips made her happy. Yes, they would celebrate his negotiating expertise soon. And even with just these few moments awake together, she knew they would both sleep well on this Friday night.

As the morning light shined through, Jennifer reached to her husband's side of the bed which was empty.

"Jonathan?" she called quietly into the empty room.

She didn't hear any sounds in the bathroom and noticed that their bedroom door was ajar.

So she climbed out of the bed, quickly found a pair of panties to slip on under Jonathan's top, and slid her robe on to cover anything too revealing. Just as she pulled the door open wider, his smiling face appeared along with a tray of breakfast goodies.

"Darling?" She opened the door a bit wider and let him slide past her and over to the bed. "Shouldn't we reverse roles here?" Jennifer sat down on the side of the bed next to him with the tray between them.

Jonathan leaned toward her and gave her a quick kiss before picking up his cup of coffee. "I slept well last night and wanted to surprise you. Can't I spoil my lovely wife?" He smiled his quirky grin beneath the china coffee cup.

Jennifer raised her eyebrows and leaned her forehead toward him. "I was hoping to be spoiled…in a different way," she admitted with her own quirky smile.

Jonathan wagged his eyebrows. "Coffee first?" He held his cup up as though he were toasting her. "Hopefully this will insure that I stay awake while we spoil each other!"

Jennifer watched as he took another sip. She picked aimlessly at the croissant that happened to be under her fingertips. But she kept her eyes on him.

After a haphazard bite or two and a few more sips of the hot black liquid, Jonathan noticed her gaze.

He tilted his head and returned her soft stare. "What?" He wondered, knowing very well her thoughts.

Jennifer broke their mutual adoration by biting her bottom lip and letting her eyes drop to the food on the tray. "I really have missed you this week," she admitted.

Her eyes caught his again, this time with the look of a slightly vulnerable woman who simply wanted her husband's attention.

Jonathan lifted the tray slowly and moved it to the cedar chest at the foot of the bed. He scooted himself closer to his wife and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Come here," he encouraged. He more than welcomed her lips against his and quickly began removing the few garments that separated their bodies.

"I love you," he easily hummed as he looked down into her eyes.

Jennifer relaxed her head on the pillow and expectantly awaited his eager touches.

Their bodies tangled and intertwined as each gave into the other. The passionate moment was moving too quickly but neither was in the mood to slow down. So there was no argument when Jennifer grasped the slick sheet and pulled it over top of them just before she opened herself to her lover's finishing touches.

"Jon-" she breathlessly started, feeling him moving to her intimacy.

"Freeway! That door is closed, you leave them alone!" A third voice broke through the guttural sounds that were filling their bedroom sanctuary. "Stop that! Quit scratching at that door!"

Jonathan froze. He looked down at Jennifer, her face unsated, her body wrapped around his, begging for a release that she wanted to share with her husband.

"Don't…stop…" her voice whined, her hips pulsed, nearly causing Jonathan's eyes to roll backwards into his head. "Jonathan-"

God he loved hearing his name come from her lips when they made love.

But just as he gained the courage to continue, the doorknob rattled…the sound of puppy claws came through the wooden barrier…and their dear friend impeded their romantic progress.

"Mr. H?" Max tapped a knock on the door and then rattled the brass handle again. "There's a courier downstairs with some papers. That Japanese company wants your signature before their close-of-business today. And if I'm figuring things out right, that's in about 45 minutes."

Jonathan's eyes closed in near defeat. "Damn it."

"Somebody in Japan is going to pay for this…" Jennifer grumbled as Jonathan began extracting himself from their web of limbs. "Even if I have to fly there myself. Teach me to fly the plane. They will hear about this!"

Within 15 minutes Jonathan's business duties were finished. He crossed his arms across his chest as Max saw the courier to the door. When it closed Jonathan let out a sigh of frustration and stared at the coffee table in the middle of their living room.

Jennifer had opted to head to the shower when Jonathan was forced out of bed. There was no toy in her small, delicately-chosen menagerie that would help her reach their goal alone. Cold water and hopes for a later rendezvous with Jonathan were her only other options.

"You going back to your morning wake up?" Max darted his eyes toward the stairs and Jonathan gave him an eye roll.

"No," Jonathan sighed. "But I've gotta come up with something that'll make this up to Mrs. H. The AeroLine Company has nearly found the darkest part of her bad side. They're a good company. They are worth the work. But if Jennifer gets her hands on them before she gets her hands on me again it could be a deal breaker."

He raised his eyebrows up and down while Max took his turn rolling his eyes.

"I don't need to know anything about your business negotiations – outside or inside the bedroom for sure!" Max huffed slightly.

"And I'm not about to tell you about any of our … negotiating …" Jonathan again crossed his arms over his chest. "Except I need your help," his thoughtful face worried Max only slightly.

He had seen that face numerous times. And the joy that came from Mr. and Mrs. H when those thoughts came together were worth the work he often contributed.

"What are you thinkin'?" The older man wondered.

"Do me a favor, Max. Call the hangar at the airport. See if the Cessna is up to par. Maybe, just maybe, if I can get my wife up above 3,000 feet, I can have her to myself for a while."

Max stared at his boss. He was quite sure Jonathan had not thought this plan through completely.

"Uh, Mr. H.," he somewhat mumbled in a low tone.

"Yeah," Jonathan answered quickly, becoming deeper in thought by the moment.

"I'm no pilot, so pardon my ignorance…but you can't…well, you know…HAVE her at 3,000 feet if yous two are the only ones on the flight. Am I right?"

Jonathan grinned. Max rolled his eyes again. The look on Mr. Hart's face was familiar to Max. It was the mischievous smirk that preceded ideas that had gotten Jonathan into trouble many times in his younger years.

"Well," Jonathan started and Max held his hand in the air.

"I don't want to know," the older man shook his head. "I just…I don't want to know."

After another hour the yellow Mercedes convertible pulled up in front of the hangar at the small, business-oriented airport. Jonathan had urged a pouting Jennifer to get dressed, "in something comfortable for flying," and purposefully worked to encourage her with soft touches, kisses on her cheek and neck and promises of time alone together.

Jonathan quickly got out of the car and made his way to the passenger side to open her door.

"Now will you tell me what you're thinking?" Jennifer asked yet again.

"You said, 'Teach me to fly the plane…'" Jonathan started. "And I figure, we own a small plane…I'm a pilot…and if my wife is interested in learning to fly, I should be able to teach her – at least some basics." He smiled at her questioning face.

"I just meant that I wanted to kill somebody at AeroLine at that very moment," she glanced at his hands holding the car door open and then back at his lips which were still inviting her to undress him right there on the tarmac. "You know the water from the shower was nowhere near cold enough for me…"

Jonathan sucked in a slow, deep breath. "Now see, you're killing me by saying things like that."

"But Jonathan," she pouted. "Why are we here and going flying when we could've just sent Max to the movies and had the whole house to ourselves? You know, it's been a while since we shared a bottle of wine on the kitchen table…" She blinked her eyelashes at him seductively and nibbled on her bottom lip.

Jonathan's next breath was shaky. She had almost convinced him to get back in the car and go right back home. But, he was determined to spend some time alone with his wife – away from potential telephone calls, couriers and normal life interruptions.

He pulled her from the passenger seat and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close as he kissed the shell of her ear. "You are so sexy… You do know that climbing out of that bed this morning was about the hardest thing I've had to do." He placed another soft kiss on her earlobe. "Max's interruptions are comical… most of the time. But at that moment…" Jonathan shook his head and buried his nose in her curls.

"You know, you aren't helping your case here, Sweetheart," Jennifer interjected.

Jonathan squeezed her a little harder then turned her toward him and took her hands in his. "You're right," he nodded and smiled sweetly at her. "I'm hoping that having a couple of hours alone with you – really alone – here, will lead up to a memorable night for us once we're back home."

Jennifer smiled. She trusted him. Their relationship was based on far more than just sex. And, both knew, spending time together, enjoying the company of the other, often led to lovemaking that was also…far more than just sex.

"We didn't bring any bags," Jennifer mentioned through her headset microphone, "so where are we going?"

Jonathan had piloted the Cessna to a comfortable cruising altitude and was simply heading toward the coast with a plan to just follow a path along the beach.

"You said you wanted to learn to fly. Here's your chance to get a feel for it." He looked at Jennifer and then adjusted his seat to allow himself room to get out from behind the controls.

"Wait, what? Jonathan, what are you doing?" Jennifer stared, eyes wide and in disbelief.

"Trust me, Darling. Swap seats with me," he instructed.

Jennifer shook her head, a bit of fear etched into her eyes. "Jonathan, no," she blinked her eyes, knowing he could read her hesitation.

"Come on," Jonathan nodded like a fatherly figure. "Just unbuckle and switch seats."

He gently prodded her until Jennifer followed his instructions and gathered her nerves enough to get into the pilot's seat.

"This is not the way I expected to spend my Saturday with you," Jennifer slightly pouted as she put her hands on the steering wheel of the aircraft. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Jonathan smiled at her cursing. He knew her attitude came from several angles…fear, frustration, exhilaration, nerves… "Now, now, now…" he took his seat beside her and leaned over enough to place a kiss on her cheek and a hand over hers. "Do you trust me?" He asked seriously.

"Well I thought I did," Jennifer sighed heavily.

Jonathan chuckled. "Here, just like driving a car. Hands at 10 and 2 or 9 and 3. Don't push or pull on the stick though…not yet, okay?"

Jennifer looked through the windshield and stared straight ahead. "Okay," she swallowed a few of her nerves and took a deep breath.

"Now, just relax. I'm right here and I won't let anything happen, okay?" He rubbed a finger over her cheek.

Jennifer rolled her eyes, took another deep breath and acquiesced.

"Turn the wheel slightly. Get a feel for it. You turn left you're going to go left. The difference in flying and driving is that you're really going to feel it when you turn and dip that wing. You don't turn on a flat plane, see, like a bird, you kind of swoop. So just turn gently."

He let Jennifer ease into the feel of controlling the plane and noticed a faint smile on her face.

"See! Now what do you think?" He kept a cautious eye on his wife but smiled when he saw the tension in her shoulders ease.

"This is it?" Jennifer wondered with a quick glance in his direction.

Jonathan laughed. "Are you ready for more?"

Jennifer grinned a little wider as she kept her hands firmly on the steering column.

Over the next half hour Jonathan guided her through the simpler gauges on the instrument panel. He helped her gauge the throttle, lower and raise the nose of the plane and then leaned back as she flew them over the edge of the Pacific.

As Jennifer became a little more comfortable with the flight, she began to look down at the landscape below. "Jonathan," she focused on a little town right on the beach.

"Hmmm?" He too had been looking at the lay of the land.

"What's that little area?"

Jonathan pulled a map from under his seat and began looking at the distance they had flown. "Looks like a spot called…let's see…Santa Luesa. Huh, I don't think I've ever heard of that."

"Me either," Jennifer gently circled the plane to take another look at the quiet spot on the map. "We should check it out sometime. I bet it has a cozy little bed and breakfast, or an inn where we could get away from things for a couple of days!" She sounded more excited about that idea as her thought progressed.

"That," Jonathan leaned over again and pressed a kiss to her cheek then nibbled her earlobe, "sounds like a wonderful idea!"

"Jonathan!" Jennifer giggled and quickly took one hand of the wheel to swat him away like a bothersome insect.

He watched her intently for a few more minutes. Jonathan loved nothing more than to see his wife enjoying herself and knowing that he was bringing her happiness.

A plan began forming in his mind as he leaned back and let her cruise for a little bit longer. The AeroLine deal was in the books. The coming week would hold the tying of loose ends; conference calls; and more normal days. And hopefully, with his secretary's help, the following weekend would hold some purely alone time for him and Mrs. Hart to explore a bedroom or two in Santa Luesa.

"So how do you land this puppy?" Jennifer wondered from the quietness of the plane's buzzing engine.

Jonathan sat up a little straighter. "Are you ready to go back already?"

She swung her head back and forth in an indecisive manner. "Yes and no…"

"But isn't it invigorating, having your hand on the stick!? Knowing you can control the throttle and just cut through the air?" His boyish giddiness was beginning to show.

But Jennifer was hearing two other, distinctive tones in her head. The first was her husband's love for flying. It was what drew him into the Navy – where he excelled at piloting aircraft. It was what prompted his need for knowledge that would make aircraft safer, easier to handle. It was the reason they owned the small, private plane, and the corporate jet that Jonathan took every opportunity to fly – even though he had two pilots on staff.

The second was a more seductive tone. As Jonathan talked about the various tools used for flying, Jennifer's mind turned them into anatomic tools. He was talking about rising and diving…grasping the throttle…manipulating the 'stick'… And suddenly, Jennifer found herself sucking in a deep breath and wishing they were back on solid ground.

"Darling?" Jonathan's excited talk quickly stalled when he heard her quick breath. "Jennifer?"

She breathed normally and looked at her husband. "You may want to hold onto those thoughts and bring them back up when we get home."

"Huh?" He looked at her, completely missing the double entendre he was unintentionally accomplishing.

"I thoroughly love manipulating your stick and adjusting your throttle. I'm completely exhilarated by rising and diving…with you…just about anywhere. And after a week without you, Jonathan, I am ready for take-off and a really, really long flight with you…as soon as possible."

Jonathan was dumbfounded. He was only able to find the words 'swap me seats again' in his suddenly limited vocabulary.

Luckily they were only a short distance from the small airport. Jonathan managed to land safely and pulled the airplane back into the hangar.

He held a finger in the air when he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the pilot's door. Jennifer stayed in her seat until he returned. She watched one maintenance engineer speak to another man in the hangar and both walked out, closing the door behind them.

"Darling?" she wondered as Jonathan climbed back into the plane and maneuvered to the back two seats.

He quirked his index finger at her, beckoning her to join him in the back of the small plane.

"What are we doing?" Jennifer wondered as she joined him.

"The next part of your flying lesson…" Jonathan quickly put a hand at the juncture of Jennifer's neck and shoulder, a sensitive area of skin, not covered by her casual sweater. His thumb brushed across her pulse point before he touched his lips to hers and began kissing his way down her neck.

"You can't…do this…while flying…" Jennifer's voice lost some of its strength as the feel of his lips on her skin began to take effect. "Can you?" she practically whispered.

Jonathan's hands were wandering. Jennifer was ready to play pilot and stewardess in the confines of their own personal plane. He was more than willing to play along.

"This can only be done while the plane's on the ground," Jonathan attempted to sound like an instructor. "And really…the cockpit…"

"Enough, Captain Hart…" Jennifer grinned. "Come fly with me…"

Emily by Hart…The Saturday Before